Take My Hand
by Princess Pinky
Summary: Ben gets an unexpected visitor at the hospital and they have a discussion that's long overdue.


**A/N: **Haven't written Benamy for a while, so this is long overdue.

_**Take My Hand**_

Ben was so focused on the window in front of him he never heard the footsteps approaching from behind. It wasn't until a hand fell to his shoulder and he could feel the warmth of it through his shirt did he realize someone was standing beside him. Then he heard words he'd never thought he'd hear.

"She's beautiful."

The Sausage Prince slowly made a half turn, careful to not knock the hand off. "Amy?"

"Hi, Ben."

"I - I wasn't expecting you."

Amy slid her hand down and dropped them to her sides; she shifted her eyes away, almost embarrassedly.

Sensing her discomfort he quickly added, "Not that I mind. I'm _glad_ you're here. I'm so happy to see you."

A half smile tugged at the corners of her lips, but never full inflated itself. "Me too. I'm happy to see you too." She lifted her hand to push a sheet of golden-chestnut hair behind her ear. Her eyes returned to the broad nursery window, where she had stood just a year and eight months ago, also with Ben, to stare at another baby: her own son, John.

"She looks like Adrian," Ben spoke, with his nose almost pressed to the glass.

"I think she looks like you."

Ben scoffed a little. "You're just saying that. She doesn't look like me at all."

"Well she doesn't have your nose and that's a good thing," Amy quipped. "But look at her, Ben, really _look_. She's got your eyes."

"They're brown, mine are green."

"Yeah, but they're yours. Adrian's got those big ones, they kind of look almost comically huge-" her lips parted as Ben opened his mouth in protest and she quickly cut him off with "-not that I'm saying that to be mean, but really, they look like yours: long and almond shaped and kind."

Ben frowned. "How do you even know that? She's all the way in the back."

Amy looked down at her shoes. "I, uh, kinda stopped by yesterday evening. Adrian said your dad had dragged you out of the hospital to go home and take a shower and that I just missed you, but Adrian had the baby in the room and she…she let me see her. I didn't hold her or anything, we just made a little small talk and whatnot."

"Oh. Well I'm glad, that's good. You and Adrian have always been kind of, uh, at odds I guess? I'm glad you hear you're getting along."

"It was the least I could do," she admitted. "Adrian came to see me in the hospital when John was born." She shrugged and glanced back at the nursery window. One of the nurses was picking up Ben's baby, who appeared to be screaming. "What's her name?"

"Oh," Ben laughed. "I don't know. Adrian and I have discussed names, but there's really none we've been able to agree on yet."

Amy looked a little taken aback. "I'm surprised," she admitted. "I figured you'd name her after your mom, you know. That's what we'd talked about before…if we were to ever have a daughter in the distant future."

"Yeah, I know," Ben shrugged, "but _Sarah Lee_? I mean, I don't want her to get associated with pastries and hot dog buns her entire life."

"So you are going with _Lee_ then?"

"I guess. It's either that or _Lee-Boykewich_, but I'm not going to push the issue. I know Adrian wants her last name to be part of the baby's, so it's either hers or a hyphenation, and given the fact that she's the one who had to give birth…I don't really feel comfortable trying to insist on a hyphen."

Amy suddenly pointed. "I think the nurse is trying to get your attention."

"Huh?" Ben looked up, realizing he'd been focusing on Amy as they'd spoke. Sure enough, he could see the nurse waving her arm to him. He nodded and smiled back at Amy. "You wanna go in and see her?"

Amy blinked. "I can do that?"

"Yeah! I mean, I or Adrian has to take people into the nursery, but you're with me right now, so-"

"I'd love to."

Without thinking, Ben grasped her hand and drew her around the corner, where he slid his hospital pass through the card slot and the doors opened, then he lead her down the hall to the right to the nursery door, where he cautiously poked his head in. "Hello?"

"Hey there, Daddy," the nurse spoke kindly. "I think someone's been waiting for you." She offered the baby to Ben. "She's been a little fussy, but I think that's because she hasn't been getting the attention she wants."

"Sounds like Adrian," Ben chuckled. He could see his daughter's tiny glassy eyes and red little fists and smiled.

"And who's this?" the nurse inquired, glancing considerately towards Amy.

"Oh," Ben grinned. "My friend. _Good friend,_ Amy. Amy Juergens."

The nurse squinted her eyes, as if trying to place he. "Juergens. That names sounds so familiar."

Amy blushed. "I had a baby here last year," she admitted meekly. "February."

The nurse nodded. "Oh, that's probably it." She smiled. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," the teen answered before shaking the nurse's hand.

"I'll be right back, I need to get a new case of diapers." She disappeared out the door, leaving the teens to themselves.

"I guess I must be doing something right," Ben announced. "She's not screaming like John did the first time I held him."

"Oh," Amy gave him a scolding wave of her hand. "John loves you and you know it! Him crying that first day, that was nothing."

"He was a hard nut to crack, I admit. When he peed on me that day I babysat him…" He rolled his eyes. "But I think we're good now."

"He gets so excited when you come over to see him."

"I'm glad. I love that little guy." Ben glanced down at his daughter. "You'll have to meet John sometime, I think you'd like him." He frowned immediately as an afterthought. "But remember not to get too cozy with him," he warned.

Amy smirked. "I know, right? After all, he is Ricky's son and she's Adrian's daughter." She laughed alongside Ben until he held the baby out to her.

"You wanna hold her?"

"Uh-"

"Come on," he nudged. "You're a seasoned mom of over a year and eight months. What're you scared of?"

"Her breaking into tears?"

"Touché. But really, come on!" One look into her eyes told him that he had won and he eagerly slid his daughter into Amy's arms.

Amy tensed for a moment, half expecting it to be a repeat of Ben's first time holding John, but the baby just stared up at her with dark brown eyes that, except in color, made almost think she was staring into Ben's eyes. A slow smile broke onto her thin lips. "Hi, baby," she cooed, reaching to stroke the little girl's miniscule knuckles with the pad of her index finger. As she did, the baby latched her fist around the end of Amy's finger and Amy's breath hitched in surprise.

"Look! She doesn't want you to leave."

Amy bit her lip. The baby's fist around her finger reminded her of all the times Ben's hands had wrapped around hers, including just a few moments ago out in the hallway, which she was pretty sure he didn't even realize he did. "She's got a good grip," was all she could say.

"Certainly doesn't get that from me."

"Benjamin Boykewich," Amy scolded, "you always let everyone else take the credit. Shame on you." With her free hand, she reached out to grab Ben's hand, oblivious as the nurse returned with an extra large bag of diapers in her arms.

"_Oh." _She spoke before she could stop herself. Her eyes had fallen on Ben and Amy's entwined hands and she was immediately recalling how Amy had said she'd had a baby just the year before and yet the baby in her arms was Ben's and clearly not hers.

"I - I - I -" Amy stuttered as the nurse passed by her. She had been about to tell Ben how obviously his daughter's grip had come from him when the nurse's re-arrival had shocked her out of her intentions. "We didn't - I mean, we - we -we -"

The nurse glanced up at the clock and smiled sympathetically. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "but I'm going to have to take the baby back now. Unless her mother wants her in her room for the night?"

"No," Ben shook his head. "She had her in there last night and stayed up all night, so her Mr. and Mrs. Enriquez are remanding her to bed rest tonight, especially after the c-section."

The nurse nodded and gently extracted the baby girl from Amy's arms, though she did have to fight to pry off her vice grip from around Amy's finger. Immediately, the infant began to whimper until Ben touched her face and kissed her forehead and promised to see her in the morning.

"Goodnight, baby!" Amy spoke softly, the same voice she'd used for John when he was that little. She waved and slipped out the door while Ben was still exchanging a few words with the nurse. She was about to head out the double doors when she heard the _thump-thump, thump-thump _of Ben's sneaks against the waxed floor as he ran up behind her.

"Hey! Wait up, wait up!" he touched her shoulder and Amy flinched in surprise. He looked slightly hurt as he pulled his hand back, as if it had been burned. "Where ya goin'?"

"Well, it's kinda late," she muttered. "I figured you'd be spending the night and-"

"Nah. My driver's waiting outside. With Adrian on parentally enforced bed rest and the baby in the nursery, my dad demanded I be home my ten tonight." He looked at his watch as they slipped out the doors. "I've got an hour. Wanna…do something?"

"Like?" she asked, unable to stop herself from smiling.

"I dunno…we could," he shrugged nonchalantly, "we could hit up the butcher shop and get some of those wings you like so much." He slipped his hand into his pocket and produced his key to his father's business. "Are you allowed to do that?"

"Why yes I am. As long as we clean up after ourselves, of course."

Amy shrugged. "I guess."

"Good. Great!" he practically skipped ahead of her as he spoke. "By the way," he said when they entered the empty elevator, "what was that back there?"

"What was what?"

"When you…grabbed my hand."

Amy pursed her lips and looked down at her shoes. "I was just d-d-d-demonstrating that she g-g-got her g-g-g-g-rip from y-you."

Ben made a squinty face with his eyes, pinching the corners of his face up. "You're stuttering," he noted. "I thought you stopped that back in Freshman year." Something seemed to pass across his face, as if he realized something and wanted to say it, but he kept his mouth shut.

"It's a n-n-ner-vous ha-bit," she lied again.

"You're nervous?"

Deciding she'd dug herself into a deep enough hole, she just nodded.

"Why?"

Amy inhaled until her lungs hurt and then released it all in a pent up breath and decided to try the truth. "Being here with you, again, after everything that's happened: you and Adrian, the baby, me and Ricky, the STD scare…it's just, _strange_. Nerve wracking. Intimidating. A-"

"Dream come true."

"_Excuse me?"_

"I missed you, Amy."

"I," she stole a peek at him, "I missed you too, Ben." As she stood there in the silence, going no where, she realized neither one of them had pressed a button to direct the elevator. "You gonna make a move?" she asked.

"Wh-what?" Ben asked; it was his turn to stutter.

Amy blushed as she realized how that sounded. "I meant the elevator," she replied quickly as she leaned in front of him and pressed one of the buttons. It lit up and the metal box jolted as it began to move down the shaft.

"Oh." Ben scuffed his feet together as the lights counted down the floors to their destination. Three floors before the bottom, he grabbed Amy's hand and their heads turned in simultaneously to meet each other's gazes.

"What are you doing?" she asked, barely in a whisper.

"Making my move," he answered as the elevator dinged. The doors slid open and they just stood their, gazes locked and hands entwined.

Amy gripped his hand a little tighter, almost like a silent dare. Then she pushed their arms forward. "I was hoping you would."

And just like that day in Freshman year, they walked out of the elevator matching each other pace for pace with rediscovered smiles on their faces and locked hands swinging between each other, exactly where they should be.


End file.
